Monday, April 25, 2011

How to Blog Every Day

When you blog for almost 400 days straight, sometimes you get emails asking how to blog every day.

The average blog lasts 6 weeks (42 days), and when I started Live with Flair, I wondered if blogging would stick for me. Would it fizzle? Would anyone read it? Would this whole thing continue?

It did. I love it, and I look forward to it every day. Sometimes I have 10 minutes to write. Sometimes an entire hour clears. Either way, I write. And along the way, I figured out three secrets to blogging every single day.

Here they are:

1. You have to ask yourself a good question.

My question for each day is simple: Where's the flair? This question means that blogging is my commonplace book--that treasury I keep of answers to a question.

There's a genuine question to answer today, and, as you've read before, I pray for the answer (usually in the shower when I'm tempted to feel grumpy about the day). I have to believe that the answer to the question inspires someone else as well. That's the second secret of daily blogging:

2. You have to believe that what you write will be good for someone else.

I've talked to so many bloggers who don't think their thoughts are worth anything to anybody else. These last few years, I've seen brilliant student writers refuse to share their work in class because they think it's "worthless" and "nobody cares."

What if we did? What if your thoughts today could inspire a whole community? We do care, and your thoughts can inspire.

Living with flair means we ask good questions and build a treasury of wisdom to offer to others. Sure critics will come against you. Sure you'll think nobody cares. But when you learn something and pass it on to others, you're engaging in an ancient art of recording wisdom for future generations. Why wouldn't we blog every day? Why wouldn't we ask ourselves philosophical questions every single day and tell someone what we think?

In this way, we also build a community of readers--fellow pilgrims--who join in and contribute their own wisdom. It's a beautiful thing. Right now, we can say "hello" to readers in Germany, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Australia. We can engage with readers from Turkey, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Russia, and Italy. (Hello friends!)

Blogging means I'm going international every day. That's the final secret:

3. You blog every day because you have an appointment with your readers.

I hope this post encourages fellow bloggers and reminds you why you started blogging in the first place.

___________________
Journal: What question am I trying to answer today? Do I believe I have wisdom to share? Do I have a community with whom I might share these thoughts? We are all waiting to hear what you think!

14 comments:

It is quite a committment you have. personally, i elect to do it three days a week. I just don't have the ability to create something good every day. You on the other hand, do. You always speak with clarity and insight.

This is perfect timing for me because just about a week ago I decided to post every single day (you and other bloggers inspired me to commit fully). http://arrangedinlove.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/what-a-one-week-vacation-made-me-realize-launch-of-daily-posting/I was on vacation when the thought came to me of why I wasn't as happy as I can be. So I am posting every single day something great that happened that day or in the past.

Thanks so much for the encouragement, old friend! As a fellow daily blogger, I've struggled with motivation, time and inspiration. I usually post right at the end of the day when the only thing churning in my head is the desire for sheets and pillows.

I too start thinking over my day and try to find something noteworthy or a teaching moment, and I usually try to do it in an attitude of prayer such that I'm reviewing my day together with the Lord.

The most surprising thing for me is that once I come up with a topic and start writing is that I have no idea where I'm going to end up. I often find myself exclaiming, "I got here, from THERE!?!?"

Lately I've toyed with the idea of dropping down to several times a week, now that I've got a firm foundation of 200+ posts, and struggle with end of semester time issues, etc (see above), but your post today reminded me why I do it daily.

I just added my 62nd country to my list of readers, and it is quite a thrill to see God using a relatively small daily investment of time to reach yet a new part of the globe.

I find your blog very inspiring. Recently I decided to blog everyday; sometimes on the weekends I have Sunrise Saturday and Sunset Sunday. I have hundred of photos of sunrises/sunsets on my computer, so the material is always available! I like to find a quote to go with the picture.Keep inspiring us!

Good stuff. Although I don't blog every single day (more like 3-4/week), I have been blogging since 2004! So it is possible. Sometimes it seems I have too many things I want to blog about. Besides the community aspect (which I'm afraid I don't do well at nurturing), I really enjoy the challenge of organizing and distilling my thoughts down to something shareable.

Thankyou for your wisdom. Do you mind me asking though - how do you think is the best way to get people to read your blog? I get disappointed & frustrated because not many are reading me & I don't know how people find me? I'd appreciate your advice.

Dear Changes of Heart, Here are some tips to invite others to read your blog: Comment on other blogs and leave the link to your blog. Post to Facebook, twitter, etc. Comment on relevant news stories in the newspaper. Join blogging networks (Grace in Small Things, Blogher, High Calling Blogs, etc.) Finally, get your blog indexed on Technorati and other blogging aggregate sites. Hope this helps!

Wow...Heather...this could not have come at a better time. I was thinking of stepping up my posting....but I too get discouraged at times thinking that what I write might not meet anyone's needs. God never ceases to amaze me. When I think I wrote something terrific, I get a few comments. But when I think I wrote something just "blah" I get a lot of comments thanking me for what I wrote. It is in His hands....all we have to do is to be faithful to pray and share each day. You inspired me with this today. I want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Blessings to you!

About Me

In my writing classes, we talk about writing with flair, but lately I've been interested in what it means to live with flair. Can I find a way to make every day impressive and meaningful? Just as a sentence turns into something beautiful with the right verb and punctuation, can I learn to revise my day and punctuate it with flair?

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More about me. . .

I'm a wife and mother of two who teaches college writing. I love writing novels, encouraging teachers, reflecting on spiritual principles in everyday life, drinking tea out of my little blue teapot, petting my cats, exercising, lighting candles, reading grammar books, watching movies and any television show with singing and dancing in it, entertaining, eating leftover Chinese food, and blogging. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.